You ever walk into a NASCAR race and think, “Man, this place used to be packed to the rafters—what happened?” That’s the reality staring the sport in the face right now. Tracks that once bragged about sellouts—Bristol Motor Speedway had 55 in a row at one point—are now staring at empty rows, tarped-off sections, and a vibe that doesn’t quite match the glory days.
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And this isn’t just an “oh, the stands don’t look full” thing. No, the economics are shifting hard. Talladega literally ripped out 18,000 seats. Michigan used to flex with 130,000-plus capacity, and now they’ve scaled it way back because, frankly, the demand just isn’t there anymore. Rising travel costs, changing fan habits, and the comfort of watching from home are all playing their part.
But here’s where it gets spicy: Kevin Harvick has had enough. On his Happy Hour podcast, the former Cup champ laid it down—trim the schedule, stop oversaturating the calendar, and bring back that raw passion. And if you’ve ever seen Harvick, you know he doesn’t sugarcoat.
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Harvick’s call to trim the fat
On the latest Happy Hour podcast, Kevin Harvick laid out his frustration with NASCAR’s packed calendar. “For my fan base, it was always one of the better fan bases… very passionate… some of that passion comes from the fact that they know in about 2 months won’t be able to come out of their house,”
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He said, spotlighting New Hampshire’s die-hard Northeast crowd. Loudon’s July race has been a summer lifeline for New England fans, pulling over 90,000 in the early 2000s when winters kept them cooped up. Harvick’s point is spot-on. These folks show up big because it’s one of their few chances, making the Magic Mile feel electric.
He pushed for quality over quantity, “I love the fact that it’s a one race… making one great race instead of two mediocre races… Kansas will be subpar in the grandstands this week, and the first one subpar… a one-race town is loud in Kansas, those types of places.” Kansas Speedway’s double-header days saw crowds thin out, with grandstands that once held 82,000 looking sparse by the late 2010s.
Cutting one date to the playoffs helped, but Harvick wants more, focusing on venues where fans pack the place, like Bristol’s Night Race or New Hampshire’s summer show. “A one-race town is loud,” he said, meaning single-date tracks like Kansas or Chicagoland draw fiercer crowds than split weekends that dilute the hype.
Harvick’s fix isn’t just about seats. It’s about keeping the fire burning. Empty grandstands hurt more than attendance numbers; they dampen the energy that makes NASCAR special. As tracks like Michigan tarp off sections and Phoenix end its sellout streak, Harvick is urging NASCAR to prune the calendar to prioritize passion over filler dates.
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Harvick and son hit the dirt
Five Flags Speedway announced Friday that the four-time Cup champ and his son Keelan will race at the Pensacola, Florida, half-mile during the regular season finale on September 27. In the Blizzard Series, Cole Butcher leads Stephen Nasse by 26 points, while Jake Finch tops the Allen Turner Pro Late Models over Seth Christensen by 21.
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Five Flags crowns its local champs on September 20 with Harvesters Credit Union Night of Champions for the Faith Chapel Outlaws, Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen, Gulf Real Estate Pro Trucks, and Lloyd’s Glass Pure Stocks, starting at 7:15 p.m. CT.
The September 27 Blizzard and Pro Late Model finale, with the Story and Bleich Roofing Crown Stocks, kicks off at 5 p.m. CT gates, racing at 7:30 p.m. Fans can watch on RacingAmerica.TV.
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Harvick’s dirt run with Keelan ties to his schedule-cutting call. Short tracks like Five Flags keep the sport’s soul alive, packing grandstands with passionate locals. As NASCAR eyes a leaner calendar, Harvick is urging a focus on these community gems, where the roar is real and the seats fill up because the racing matters.